The Political Scene: The Next 100 Days

In this week’s Political Scene podcast, Dorothy Wickenden talks with Ryan Lizza and Hendrik Hertzberg about Obama’s first hundred days and about Arlen Specter. The Democrats&#8217 embrace of the Pennsylvania senator, Hertzberg says, is evidence of Obama’s desire to get his health-care plan through Congress, even if it undermines Joe Sestak, who would have been the likely Democratic candidate for Specter’s seat. Lizza adds:

Poor Joe Sestak—they sort of threw the guy under the bus…. Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, when he was head of the committee that helps elect House Democrats, he and Sestak became quite close…So it’s somewhat ironic now that they’ve decided to fully support Arlen Specter at Sestak’s expense.